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Female Participation in NREGA Programme: a Comparative Study of Two Backward Districts in West Bengal, India

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Abstract

The paper attempts to analyse female participation in National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) across the blocks in Bankura and Birbhum districts. Tabular analysis has been used to show how the scheme influences the livelihood of the rural women. Logit regression model has been used to analyse the factors determining the participation decision of rural women in NREGS. Across the surveyed districts in West Bengal, there exist wide variations in the level of women’s participation. It is found that women from Bankura District have higher levels of participation compared to those in Birbhum District. The empirical analysis used to identify the determinants of the women’s participation reveals that income from other sources, family size, education level of the women and religion are significantly associated with the participation decision of the women folk.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Economics, University of Gour Banga, Mokdumpur, Malda, West Bengal, 732103, India

    Krishna Singh

  2. Department of Economics, University of Burdwan, Golapbag, Burdwan, West Bengal, 713104, India

    Soumyendra Kishore Datta

Authors
  1. Krishna Singh
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  2. Soumyendra Kishore Datta
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Correspondence to Krishna Singh.

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Singh, K., Datta, S.K. Female Participation in NREGA Programme: a Comparative Study of Two Backward Districts in West Bengal, India. Ind. J. Labour Econ. 62, 499–515 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41027-019-00173-w

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s41027-019-00173-w

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